I cried for 3 days and then fell in love

Maybe it’s like this for all new moms, or maybe just a handful of us. You get home from the hospital and emotions and tears seep out of every pore in your body. With my first pregnancy, I had learned that days 3, 4 and 5 postpartum were supposed to be the most hormonally charged. Except with Adeline, I cried for weeks 1, 2 and 3.

With Crosby, I condensed it down to a few days of solid sobbing. I cried because the pregnancy was over (I was so uncomfortable, but why did I wish it away?), I cried if Addy seemed anything but 100% blissed out (She just frowned. And she seems distant. OMG! She is ruined for life. How could I do this to her?) and I cried because our lives had changed (As I pulled a pre-Crosby shirt from the laundry – The last time I wore this, there was just 3 of us. And it will never be that way again!) I could barely open my mouth to speak without wails and sobs escaping.

But now? The tears have evaporated, and I see that I am beyond blessed with a wonderful husband (who is home until Nov 28th, at which point, I’m certain shit will hit the fan), a baby boy who can already sleep 3.5-4 hours during the night (fingers crossed that I didn’t just jinx myself) and an amazing daughter who has shown she is more resilient to change, and accepting of it, than her Mommy.

Here’s a look at the last 8 days of my life, and the start of our journey as a foursome.

One last family photo before dashing to the hospital. I am so glad that bloated look on my face is on its way out.
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Grateful that we made it with plenty of time to spare.
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Gowned up and ready to go. Let’s get this baby out! I was so happy to be at the hospital and just hours away from losing the gigantic, heavy belly I had been carrying around for months.
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Epidural? Yes, please!
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I did it. I did it. I got him out. Why did that hurt so bad? Crosby, fresh from the womb.
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Oh, that’s why. His birth weight is identical to what my first-born weighed at 2 months old.
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The new Big Sister finally understands that Baby Brother is an actual baby, not just a huge lump in my belly. Baby Brother is so soft!

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Hours before going home, the hospital serves us a Celebration Dinner. Rather than candle light, we dined over the glow of a newborn baby.
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Juggling two kids begins, but they’ve made it easy so far. Adeline is such a good big sister, giving Crosby hugs during the day and kisses at night. I am completely amazed by how well she’s adjusting and grateful that Crosby sleeps enough to make quality time with her very doable.
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Crosby’s first bath is a family affair.
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One of the last nice days in Wisconsin requires that we all go to the park. Going down a slide 7 days after delivering a baby? Very bad idea.
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And him? We are already so in love. My biggest frustration is that he’s such a sleepy kid, I can barely keep him up to finish a feeding, so my boobs are constantly in various stages of About to Explode with Milk.  If that’s as bad as it gets, I’ll take it.

• ← And then The Boy arrived
• There is a post coming →